The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!
For a very special few days each October, young witch/skater Gwen gets to hang out with her best friends: a werewolf and vampire from the monster realm who can only cross over right around Halloween. Together, they do spooky things like go to the mall and haunt normies! A super fun series opener (I hope), perfect for whatever the Zoomer/Alpha version of Hot Topic tweens is.
Hellaween by Moss Lawton, (List Price: 22.99, Razorbill, 9780593524299, August 2023)
Reviewed by Talia Smart, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
I literally jumped up and down when we received this! Bruce’s friends don’t know why he doesn’t want to celebrate Halloween. But they get him to give out candy and have fun in only the way that Grumpy Bears can have. The Bruce books are a favorite. This time for a grumpy, hilarious Halloween picture book that will keep you in stitches. Bruce’s friends don’t know why he doesn’t want to celebrate Halloween. But they get him to give out candy and have fun in only the way that Grumpy Bears can have. The Bruce books are a favorite
Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow by Ryan T. Higgins, (List Price: 18.99, Disney Hyperion, 9781368059589, July 2023)
Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina
What a beautiful unfolding of sisterly love! Beatrice Likes the Dark reinforces the wisdom so difficult to impart on young hearts: It is what makes us uniquely different, that also makes us uniquely lovable. The book is sitting on my Grandma shelf–ready to share with my own darlings.
Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke (List Price: $18.95, Algonquin Young Readers, 9781643751573, September 2022)
Reviewed by Annell Gerson, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia
Far and away one of my favorite picture books of the year! Beatrice Likes the Dark is a beautifully illustrated, sweet story of sisterhood. Each page is full of heart and whimsical detail. Your inner baby goth or any year-round halloween lovers in your life will need to own this one!
Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke (List Price: $18.95, Algonquin Young Readers, 9781643751573, September 2022)
Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida
A day at the zoo for the Dracula family provides the perfect cover for Junior to engage in a penguin switcheroo. Hilarious and adorable, with illustrations that tell as much of the story as the words themselves.
Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins, (List Price: 17.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781534466982, July 2021)
Reviewed by Elese Stutts, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
